The most frequently asked question we get, here at Monforte, is how the vouchers will work and when you’ll get them?

First: thanks for your patience while we worked out the details.

Second: here’s how it’ll work:

Each voucher is worth $5. Our design team of Ron and Teresa (Diesel Design) are working on what the vouchers will look like. Think Canadian Tire money, only more Monforte-ish.

Your first stack of vouchers will be handed out at the Hootenany on January 2, 2010. If you’re not able to come to the Hootenany, we’ll send them to you. If you’re the coordinator for a group of people or family who’ve bought a CSA together, you can  divvy them up among your group. 

So, say you’ve bought a $500 CSA, you’ll receive your stack of vouchers (in $5 denominations) worth $150 or 30 vouchers. You can then redeem them for cheese at one of the Farmers Markets where Monforte cheese will be available in 2010. (Second most frequently asked question: which markets will Monforte be at? We’re working on that one too. The answer is coming soon, I promise.) You’ll also be able to redeem them at the St. Lawrence Market all year long (beginning in 2010) at the Stratford Farmers Market or at the dairy in Stratford. 

But only beginning in 2010. Remember, we have to make the cheese first! And we’ll let you know as soon as it’s ready.

You can buy all your cheese at once or portion it out over the year – your choice. If you only want to buy $7.50 worth of cheese on a given day, you give us two vouchers ($10 worth) we’ll keep one, and credit you the difference ($2.50) on the back of of the other one and hand it back to you. And if you find you didn’t eat all the cheese that’s due to you in one year, we won’t mind if you carry a few vouchers over into the next year.

Thereafter, you’ll receive your stack of vouchers every year for a total of five years, paying out your CSA.

A few thoughts that came to me while writing this:

We can’t tell you enough how grateful we are to everyone who’s purchased a CSA. What an incredible community you’ve formed! 

Also, we feel honoured that you’ve purchased CSAs as gifts for people you care about – that Monforte is the vehicle through which you’ve expressed that caring is incredible to us.

Thank you all, very much.